Tag Archives: future

Challenges?
We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Challenges!

So here I am once again at some ungodly hour with my brain spinning at break-neck speed, spewing countless ideas and plans for Romantic Shorts. What to do next. A new curve on an old plan. A tweak in the grand plan. A new goal. A new and improved goal. The next post for Romantic Shorts HQ.

Which brings me to the point.

I started this venture – can I call it a company if I’m working from my dining room (having recently lost my office)? ; I’m still hesitant at throwing around the ‘Publisher’ title; it’s not really a business until it’s making money. So I like the word ‘venture.’ It hints at adventure, challenge, excitement, fulfillment. I like it….

Right. So I started this venture, seriously and with conviction, about a year and a half ago.

One of the biggest incentives of diving into this, was pure and simple distraction it provided to one of – okay, the most difficult personal challenges I’ve ever faced: my oldest child began making really bad decisions, forcing me to make decisions as a parent that drew on a strength I didn’t yet know I possessed. Watching him struggle beyond hope has been the most unbearable experience I could imagine. How many times I wished him dead – both for his own sake and ours – I can’t begin to count – immediately thereafter being knocked over by a wave of guilt, remorse, worry and pure, cold, fear.

I’ve heard about challenges. I grew up with a dad who was a dreamer. He never really accomplished anything he set out to do. But he was always doing something. And we were constantly bombarded with one inspirational speaker/book/movie/idea after another. As a result, I, too, am a dreamer. But thanks to Mom and an incredibly supportive husband, I am also a do-er.

And so I know about challenges.

“Nothing’s worth doing if it’s easy,” “Bumps in the road,” “Sticks in spokes,” and all that.

What I didn’t realize 18 months ago when I committed to Romantic Shorts, was the variety of form and severity of those challenges. I had no idea what was truly in store for me.

And frankly, if some of the things I’ve muddled through recently are typical of your average business start-up, it’s no wonder so many don’t make it. I get why, if building your own successful business is the (North) American dream, not everyone manages to accomplish that. Nor do they even want to.

A slight stroke of luck led me to my hometown Hamilton’s new McMaster University Innovation Park the other day. We have an entrepreneurs support centre called Innovation Factory and I snagged a meeting with a couple young fresh minds the other day. Amidst all of the ideas and advice (and kudos!!) they shared, was a reminder that the Internet can be a big barren wasteland of connections. And that success will at some point require a more personal touch.

In my vast wanderings and wonderings of late, I had lost sight of that.

All of my most successful posts and ‘reaching-out’ campaigns have come from my heart. Straight from the person who’s doing all the work. I had forgotten that.

And now I share with you this post. And warn that it will be followed up with more about the day to day challenges I’m facing and sometimes even overcoming. That’s both therapeutic for me, and insightful for you, a reader whom I invite to return to enjoy our stories, or to write a romantic short story for us, or to contribute in a way that you feel might benefit all.

I’ll probably return in a bit to lament on the various challenges I do face. Not the least of which is the current crash of my beloved MacBook Pro, who has been with me every step of the way and whom I miss terribly right now as I type this on my husband’s laptop. (Again, an unbelievably supportive man.)

Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have to run. I have the incredibly overwhelming task of leaving the house at this still-ungodly hour to pick up said son from work. And I do not have the time right now, or the strength to hold back such forceful tears of joy at the pride and love I feel for this young man, knowing where he’s been, and seeing where he is now – back home with the love and support of his family, working and going to school.

Challenges are meant to challenge us. We don’t have to like it. We just have to do it.

In this changing literary landscape, it is becoming the norm it is imperative that authors participate in their own marketing.

If you are not already doing so, the above statement is likely intimidating, frustrating, annoying, and perhaps a little humiliating. And understandably so. What with all the Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg, Reddit, StumbleUpon, who’sit, what’sit… It’s no wonder. To the uninitiated, the idea of marketing yourself and your writing is a world of new and confusing. I once overhead a writer complain, “I’d rather cut off my feet and run on stumps than learn all that (crap).”

Pretty much sums it up.

So how does one who is a master of words go about the promotion of self and work? There’s so much to learn. And who wants to learn? We want to write!!

Aha! And there’s your answer. Putting yourself out there is easier than you think.

WHERE DO I START?

Getting started online and promoting yourself is easy. Writing a book is hard. Look at it like any other project you’ve taken on in your lifetime. Think back to learning how to cook. You didn’t start out with four-course turkey dinners. Chances are, you scrambled an egg. Now you look at the Internet and think, “I can’t do that.” And no one is asking you to. We just want you to start with an egg.

In geek terms we’ll call that a blog.

FIRST, GET A BLOG

A ‘blog’ (so named because ‘Web Log’ is too long to type,) is nothing more than an online journal. Like keeping a diary, you can write in it every day, once or twice a week, or whenever the mood hits.

Unlike a diary, it is versatile, forgiving, and powerful. Versatile, because all of the work – outside of the actual writing – is done for you. Forgiving, because mistakes are easily corrected, your shortcomings in design and tech know-how are easily compensated. And powerful, because it has the potential to reach an audience beyond your current resources and imagination, in real-time (not in some projected point in the future), and in ways that the ‘blog’ platform has evolved into, beyond the expectations of those who developed them in the first place.

Start a blog. It’s easy. And it’s free. There are websites out there that host blogs. The two biggest are Blogger and WordPress. Romantic Shorts uses WordPress. There are others, but these are the easiest to start with. Blogger is easier to use for beginners, has plenty of fun ways to personalize your site, and will meet virtually all of your needs. WordPress is a little more involved behind the scenes and can be a little intimidating for beginners, but has a great help section and some terrific looking themes, and, I’ve found, better options for growth.

Click the ‘Start a Blog’ button and follow the directions. All you need to register your blog is a valid email address. There are no catches.

Give some thought as to what you would like to call yourself. You will be asked to choose a Username. This can be different from your Blog Title, but cannot be changed so long as your blog is in use. It is also the name that will be used in your URL (the blog address visitors will type into their browsers to find you.)

For example: if your name is Kate Middleton, you will likely find that KateMiddleton is already taken. Try for variations like CatherineMiddleton, KateSMiddleton, theKateMiddleton, KatieMiddleton, AuthorKateMiddleton, etc. When you find one that works, you will be given a URL:
www.theAuthorKateMiddleton.Blogspot.com or www.WriterKatieMiddleton.WordPress.com

Your sign in will be your user name and you will be asked to choose a password.

At this point, you have an account. You will then be asked to name your blog, provide a Blog Title. I suggest using your pen name. You can make a separate blog for a specific book, project, etc. But for now, start with a writer’s blog. Everything you put in there will be easily sorted.

Your blog host will now show you how to post your first article. Tech stuff is done. Now you’re back to being a writer. So write. About anything you want.

Post your thoughts, your ideas, comments about other things, some of your writing, etc. Anything you want. It doesn’t matter. Just start. Try to post something regularly – twice a week is a great place to start. Every day is difficult – even for the pros.

Later, when you’re comfortable, start looking at personalizing your blog with themes, pictures, widgets (don’t worry about what they are – you’ll figure that out later – and they’re fun,) links, etc. Let your blog grow with your expertise. Set a goal to have something that looks pretty good a year from now. You’ll look back and wonder what was holding you back. All you’ll been doing for the past year is writing.

GET A DOMAIN

Your name is your name. As a writer, it’s your brand – the words/logo/idea that identify you as you to the rest of the world.

Grab the Domain!

What that means is very much like getting a patent for your invention. If you are WriterKatieMiddleton, go online and register the Domain WriterKatieMiddleton.com Even if you don’t use it, you’ve prevented everyone else from using it. You will want it later. It’ll probably cost you around $15 per year. If you have the cash and the inclination, grab the other domains, WriterKatieMiddleton.net, .co, .mobi, .me, etc. They’ll cost about $7 per year each. But owning your domain means that down the road, you will be able to address your own website with a personalized domain name.

That can all happen when you’re more comfortable with the online stuff. But put them in your back pocket for now, now, before someone else takes your name.

There are Domain Hosts – not to be confused with Web Hosts – that can sell you a domain registration. Big websites like GoDaddy and HostGator are easy to find, have good support, and reasonable prices. There are smaller sites who can do the same thing – this depends on your preference. Often, you’ll get a better price on Web Hosting in the future if you decide to expand your blog into a full blown website, and use the Domain Host’s services to host your website. (WordPress will ‘host’ your blog site for free, Web Hosts charge for a much more intricate service.) Many of the smaller Domain Hosting companies don’t have, or don’t have extensive, web hosting services. Take your future plans for online growth into consideration when choosing a domain host.

MAKE SOME FRIENDS

No, if you’re not comfortable with all of this, you don’t have to join Facebook.

But you do want to connect with other people. Writers, readers, fans, editors, publishers, bloggers.

As a writer in the real world, you’ve likely attended writers’ courses, seminars, symposiums, conventions. You’ve probably joined a writers’ group. You’ve probably talked to friends and family about your writing.

In the virtual world, you do the same thing. Only with exponentially effective results. There are forums, blogs, social networks, businesses, and connections online where you can meet people who have the same goals, challenges, needs, as you do. You can Google “WRITERS” and spend the next month sifting through some of the millions of sites that come up.

Save yourself some time. Look at the organizations, people, and businesses that you work with in the real world. Do you have a magazine subscription? A writers’ group? A favourite bookstore? Find them online and join their discussion boards.

As with real life, if you wouldn’t walk into a dinner party where you know no one and start handing out your business cards and asking people to buy your product, don’t do that online. There is an etiquette to joining a group of people who likely already have a longstanding relationship. Introduce yourself, listen, get to know others around you, ask questions. Let them warm up to you. They will eventually start asking about you. Invite them to read your blog, to add a link to your blog on their sites, and ask if you can link to their sites from your blog. These relationships are what grow into a solid and marketable online presence.

Use patience and care to grow your blog, as you would a treasured rose bush. Sure, you could go out and make a sensational YouTube video of you dancing naked on Parliament Hill. It would go viral and everyone would want to know who you are. But your fifteen minutes of fame will fade quickly if you don’t have the content to keep your visitors interested and coming back. And, let’s face it. If you put the work into the content and quality of your blog, it will grow. And you can keep your clothes on.

Now a year or two down the line, you’re pitching a book idea to a publisher, and you invite the publisher to visit your blog. She sees a ton of quality sample writing, gets to know your personality and friends, and knows exactly with whom she’s going to be dealing. You’ve essentially just invited her over for dinner to meet your family. You have a thousand visitors a month who are going to know that she’s publishing your book – that’s good for you, that’s good for her. Suddenly, you look much more appealing.

Put this all into perspective at Romantic Shorts. Once we’re running at full steam, we expect to be publishing upward of 200 short stories per year, written by some 150+ writers. If each of those writers has a thousand visitors per month, and links to our publication, inviting readers and writers to join us, we could easily be looking at a network of tens of thousands of visitors per month. That’s no small potatoes for our writers!

GROW YOUR PLATFORM

So a year has passed. You’ve now polished your blog, mastered your widgets, welcomed the world. It’s time to move forward with confidence. There are countless ways to grow your site into something that meets your needs, interests your visitors, and makes you some money. As you reach this comfort level, take some time to watch others, to see how they grow.

I’ve always been intrigued by my inadequate impression of people. I see a pregnant woman at the mall, and I can’t think of her as anything but a pregnant woman. Yet I could see her again in two months, and am then surprised to have to perceive her as a young mom. We take snap shots of the world around us all the time, without giving much thought to the process that led to, or the growth that will come from, that moment.

Websites are an excellent example of this. You will connect with other sites. Watch them grow, change, evolve to meet the changing expectations of their visitors, the growth of their product, and the maturity of their expertise. Use these examples to make a plan for your own site. Where do you want to be two years from now? What was once scary and intimidating, is now full of enthusiasm and anticipation.

The bottom line. You’re going to be writing anyway. Don’t work harder; just work smarter.

Tell us what you think. Do you have a writer’s site? What has been your most difficult obstacle? Your best advice? Feel free to leave your URL so we can see what you’ve been able to accomplish.

Welcome to the new headquarters for Romantic Shorts. It’s now time to separate the presentation from the preparation.

Everything that matters to our writers, all of our updates, announcements, and guidelines, are here at Romantic Shorts HQ. In the very near future, we hope to add a forum and discussion board for our staff and writers to connect and share. Right now, that’s (supposed to be) happening on our Facebook page. (I’m still trying to get into the habit of checking it regularly – that’s a new one for me and I’m still not comfortable finding my way around ‘the wall.’ Ah well, this is all about learning, after all…)

As for our ‘office decor’, after much indecision and a great deal of stress, our Headquarters Home Page is now sleek, clean, and easy to use. (That blue background that a few of you had the misfortune to bump into was nasty.)

Two-thirds of the website are set for now.

This area for you, the writers, will grow as we grow and expand to meet our needs. If you have any suggestions of something to add, change, or just plain get rid of, feel free to say so. The whole HQ experience has to be easy and pleasant for the writers. Experience will tell us what that looks like. And if it’s anything like my living room, will be rearranged every six months or so…

Our presentation area is on hold waiting for our Grand Opening this summer. It will feature your stories, info, and – yes, probably some ads – for our readers. The details and final decisions on its appearance are still up in the air, though its purpose and function are now taking solid shape. Again, we’re open to ideas on that front. Feel free to drop us a line.

The nuts and bolts of the site are next. The business end of Romantic Shorts will include everything from info for advertisers to our privacy policy to our online store. Down the road, we will offer hardcopy, digital, and E- anthologies for sale, as well as other Romantic Shorts licensed items. That’s an exciting aspect of the venture that is proving to be a bit of a distraction – it’s incredibly fun to think about, and it’ll have to wait a little longer.

So, now, it’s so far so good. We’re still looking for more writers/stories. We may think about running another competition later in the year. And these days, every solved problem is producing two new challenges and three new ideas. Seems this has all taken on a life of its own… Can’t wait to see what’s next.

Now, back to work. Still have a third of a website to clean up, contracts to smooth out, manuscripts to read and judge, connections to make, and email to answer.

Archives

Links of Interest

The Book Writers Network
An initiative for Authors to promote themselves on the Internet, designed specifically for authors, tailor made to provide the modules and services that are unique to writers.

The New Author
Where beginning authors trying to understand the world of writing, publishing, and promoting can learn and share.

The New Writer Magazine
It’s different and it’s aimed at all writers: the short story writer, the novelist, the poet, feature writer, anyone with a serious intent to develop their writing to meet the expectations of today’s editors.

The New Writers
The New Writers is an online group, founded on Facebook, of inspired, inspiring, and aspiring poets, authors, writers, and publishers.

An Invitation for Our Writers
For Romantic Inspiration, Romance Author Promotion, and Romance Novel Reviews that you can post yourself, discover RomanticIdeasOnline.com and get yourself OUT there. Remember, Life Can Be a Honeymoon. Let’s Start NOW!

Fiction eBook
Ernie Lindsey provides book reviews for readers, and information for readers who want to be writers. A terrific site to visit. Regularly!

F.Y.I.

Book Display Stands
Get your books noticed at festivals, signings, and on store shelves with book stands from DisplayStands4You.

Headquarters Directory

Romantic Shorts

READING ROOM
Add a little romance, a little sexy, and a little naughty to your break. Choose your mood and reset your imagination. Our romantic short stories are just enough to get you through the afternoon. And if you need us, we’ll be here for you again tomorrow